Performance Polymers

Ultradur^® (PBT) – The polybutylene terephthalate for high-quality components

Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)

Ultradur^® is BASF’s brand name for its line of partially crystalline, thermoplastic, saturated polyesters derived from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). They are employed as materials for high-quality technical components in many industry sectors.

Ultradur^® shows its strengths wherever high-quality and above all heavy-duty parts are required – for example in the automotive industry, in the electrics and electronic sectors. The range of applications which benefit from these properties of Ultradur^® in both industry and everyday life is vast. A feature that is particularly important is the low water absorption and thus the fact that the mechanical and electrical properties are largely independent of the moisture content or the climatic surrounding conditions. Particularly for components that are safety-relevant and have to work reliably for the entire lifetime of a component, Ultradur^® is indispensable.

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Benefits

Key advantages of Ultradur^®

High rigidity and strength
Very good dimensional stability under heat
Low water absorption
Good resistance to many chemicals
Exceptional resistance to weathering
Excellent heat aging behavior

Focus topic: High Productivity Plus

Energy efficiency is an increasingly important aspect to consider, both from an economic and ecological perspective. The cycle time of the injection molding process plays a major role for the highlighted properties. To this end, BASF has developed a new variant of Ultramid® and Ultradur®, known as High Productivity Plus, which leads to significant reductions in cycle time and process energy consumption. First tests show a potential reduction of the cycle time around 30 %.

Ultramid® and Ultradur® HPP are high-performance thermoplastic resins that show outstanding flowability, faster crystallization and ability to be processed at lower melt temperatures making it an ideal choice for manufacturers and product designers who demand the very best in terms of efficiency and performance.

Ultramid® and Ultradur®’s ability to be processed at lower melt temperatures make it a more sustainable choice. Additionally, this resin requires lower injection pressure, which reduces wear and tear on equipment and extends the lifespan of molds and other components.

Ultramid® and Ultradur® HPP Brochure

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Ultradur^® product range (PBT, PBT+ASA, PBT+PET)

The most important applications of Ultradur^® are automotive engineering, electrical engineering, electronics and telecommunications as well as precision engineering and general mechanical engineering. For these applications, a variety of Ultradur^® types is available.

Unreinforced Grades

The Ultradur^® range includes a variety of PBT grades which differ in their flow properties, demolding and setting behavior. The unreinforced grades are used for parts with very good surface quality, with applications ranging from packaging film to filigree connectors in electrical engineering and functional parts such as gear wheels. More

Reinforced Grades

Ultradur^® demonstrates the full potential of its positive properties in a wide range of glass-fiber reinforced grades. Ultradur^® types with different glass-fiber contents are available on demand as standard, including types with a glass-fiber content of over 50 %. Processed to molded parts, these Ultradur^® grades are key players in assemblies that withstand high mechanical stress even at elevated temperatures, such as in the engine compartment of cars.

In addition to the pure PBT/glass-fiber compounds, the range of reinforced grades also includes glass-fiber reinforced PBT blends which have been further optimized with regard to surface quality and dimensional stability. Well-known manufacturers of electronic assemblies have confidence in the reinforced Ultradur^® grades as a housing material because of its outstanding performance profile and high consistency of product quality. More

Reinforced Ultradur^® grades with enhanced flow properties

With the innovative Ultradur^® High Speed grades, it is possible not only to fill intricate molds, but also to significantly reduce cycle times compared with standard materials. These particularly economic Ultradur^® High Speed grades have different glass-fiber contents and are also available as PBT/ASA blends, the S 4090 grades. More

Reinforced Ultradur^® grades with particularly low warpage

Manufacturing large, dimensionally stable parts, e. g. ventilation grids in cars, is a major challenge for plastic processors. The warpage-reduced grades make processing easier. These materials have lower contents of anisotropic fillers and reinforcing materials. At special settings, it is possible to achieve roughly equal processing rates in longitudinal and transverse direction – the best conditions for the production of visible low-warpage parts. More

Reinforced Ultradur^® grades with particularly good hydrolysis resistance

Special additives make the robust Ultradur^® even more resistant if it is exposed to water or moisture at elevated temperatures. It was possible to show in various test systems that these specialty grades are resistant to hydrolytic attack for much longer than standard PBT. Further information on Ultradur^® HR can be found in the brochure “Ultradur^® HR – PBT for hot-damp environments”. More

Reinforced Ultradur^® grades with outstanding laser transparency

In principle, laser welding of partially crystalline thermoplastics is more difficult than that of amorphous plastics as the laser beam is scattered on the spherulites. This problem, which is shared by all partially crystalline plastics, was particularly pronounced with PBT: Ultradur^® LUX now provides a partially crystalline PBT with optical properties that have never been reached before. In comparison with conventional PBT, Ultradur^® LUX lets through much more laser light; the widening of the beam is much lower.

The improved laser transparency means that considerably higher welding speeds are now possible, and at the same time the process window is much wider. Thicker components for joining can also be welded than was previously the case. This gives access to applications that were previously reserved for other joining methods. More detailed information about Ultradur^® LUX can be found in the brochure “Ultradur^® LUX – PBT for laser welding”. More

Flame-retardant grades

Many flame-retardant grades are available in the product range. Ultradur^® for applications in the construction and electrical appliances sectors, which place special requirements on PBT’s flammability. The standard fire-retardant grades are unreinforced and available with 10 to 30 percent glass-fiber reinforcement. More

Ultradur^® for applications in contact with food and drinking water

Under the name suffix Aqua^®, Ultradur^® grades are available that have different country-specific approvals for drinking water contact applications. All plastics of the Aqua^®-portfolio have at least one approval according to KTW¹⁾, ACS²⁾ and WRAS³⁾ in cold water applications, a large proportion of them also for warm and hot water. To facilitate the approval of finished components, BASF provides all the necessary declarations of conformity and test certificates for Germany and the United Kingdom. If approvals are required from the certification bodies for drinking water and NSF⁴⁾ or other institutes are required, BASF can help by providing the institutes with formulation disclosures. For questions regarding compliance with other regulations and for declarations of conformity please contact your local BASF representative or Plastics Safety (plastics.safety@basf.com).

Ultradur^® for medical applications

Ultradur^® B 4521 PRO is suitable in particular for injection molding applications in the medical sector. It is noted for its low warpage and shrinkage behavior. This means that Ultradur^® B 4521 PRO is able to meet the strict requirements placed on medical components in terms of dimensional stability. Other advantages that are significant for use in medical equipment include the low water absorption and the excellent resistance to many chemicals that are used in the medical sector.

Among other things, gamma rays or ethylene oxide are used for sterilizing the components. More detailed information about Ultradur^® PRO can be found in the brochure entitled “Engineering plastics for medical solutions – Ultraform^® PRO and Ultradur^® PRO”.

Products for high voltage connectors

With the Ultramid^® DC grades (Durable Color), BASF is expanding its portfolio of engineering plastics for the eMobility market – even in the flame-retardant sector. High technical requirements from the industry require innovative solutions based on PA66 and PA6. In the case of already proven Ultradur^® (PBT) products, color stability can be largely guaranteed, especially in orange (RAL 2003) which is in high demand in the industry. Laser markability is partially possible.

Conventional polyamides, however, tend to strong color fluctuations or yellowing during heat aging.

Properties of Ultradur^®

The Ultradur^® grades are polyalkylene terephthalate molding compounds based on polybutylene terephthalate. Ultradur^® is produced by polycondensation of terephthalic acid or dimethyl terephthalate with 1,4-butanediol using special catalysts. Terephthalic acid, dimethyl terephthalate and 1,4-butanediol are obtained from petrochemical feedstocks, such as xylene and acetylene.

Learn more about properties

Mechanical properties

Tribological properties

Thermal properties

Electrical properties

Fire behavior

Resistance to chemicals and behavior on exposure to weather

The processing of Ultradur^®

Ultradur^® can be processed by all methods known for thermoplastics. The main methods, however, are injection molding and extrusion. Complex moldings are economically manufactured in large numbers from Ultradur^® by injection molding. The extrusion process is used to produce film, semi-finished products, pipes, profiled parts, sheet and monofilaments. Semi-finished products are for the most part machined further by means of cutting tools to form finished moldings.

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Learn more about processing

General notes

Injection molding

Extrusion

Fabrication and finishing processes

Specific Ultradur^® Types

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More Information

All information in one place: From technical articles, case studies and brochures, to data sheets and certificates.

Information & Certificates

Ultradur^®application range

The applications are as manifold as its product properties: Explore the various application possibilities of Ultradur^®!

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BASF eMobility solutions

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Successful customer projects

Proven in practice: These case studies demonstrate the successful use of Ultradur^® in customer projects.

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Ultradur^® (PBT) – The polybutylene terephthalate for high-quality components

Key advantages of Ultradur^®

Focus topic: High Productivity Plus

Ultramid® and Ultradur® HPP Brochure